Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-02-17
A PROTEST.

Il
Ennis, Before a Meeting of Printers ana
Stationers in st. Louis, Against Turning
the State Penitentiary Into a Printing
Office.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 7.-At the meeting OF
master printers, stationers and bookbind
ers, held at 207 Chestnut street Saturday
afternoon, to enter remonstrance
against the bill now pending in the Legis-
lature providing for the establishment OF
printing Office in the State penitentiarv,
Mr.. Richard Ennis delivered the following
argument:
GENTLEMEN: When the great epic poet of t &c
English language said that trif1es light as SIT.
make confirmation strong, some Of the Pres
ent vagaries of the legislators of the ,tsae III
Missouri were evidently in his mi .6>s eve,
From the remonst:ance just read, "a Is aufea
evident that these gentlemen prop Sc To ests b.
hsh at Jefferson City "a MANN .cah printing.
book binding, electrotyping, saau-engraying
and bookselling establishmer n, and tbrs de-
prive thousands of people of the means of OBJ
tanning living, and, besd' s. anild m n huge
monopoly, at variance W nh the spirit of our
laws and the settled policy of our civiliza-
ton.
One cause of disco nteas among the laboring
classes is the tende ncy to monopcly-the dis
posltion TO contrcI certain branches of trade
through large Investments of capital and then
obtain perpetual and exclusive franchises from
STATES and mu Aicipaiities. Such is not new
feature OF civ Ilization for we have evidences OF
itcn the workings OF the East Indian Company
in the Old, and the Hudson Bay Company in the
New World, and more especially in the Pacific
Railroad franchise Of more recent date.
THE PRIMITIVE MISSION OF OUR GOVERNMENT
was confined to simple protection against in
yasion and instruction, the regulation of
commerce and intercourse with other govern
ments the transmission of mails, coinage of
money collection of revenue and the main
enance of moral and civil laws. Such was,
and is at present, about the scope and mission
of our National Government and should be also
OF the State. That we have drifted into other
channels is too apparent. Especially in the past
twenty-five years the wonderful increase Of
about a million people year in population, and
the necessities arising out of the late civil war,
has, in a great measure, forced US from our
constitutional moorings, and the consequence
is that 1nonopolies have grown up in State and
Nation which would not otherwise have been
tolerated, because such do not necessarily
belong either to form
of government reflect the sentiment of the
people. Coming down to our own times and
leading up to the business which necessitated
the calling of this meeting the Federal Govern
ment at Washington has no more right in
equity or justice to embark in the printing bust
ness than has State or municipality. Govern
ment for the people and business ventures will
not mix, no more than oil and water. They are
things apart When the Government wants
material to construct its public buildings it
does not engage In the lumber and stone
traffic; and so, when it has document to
print, or a book to manufacture, there is
about as much corresponding reason why it
should not expend millions of the public money
in their production. Indeed, if the Govern
ment printing Office at Washington, or one
even on smaller scale at Jefferson City, in our
own State, is public necessity, the manu-
facture of paper ink, presses and type is quite
as much so.
In looking through the Government printing
office at Washington, short time ago, 1t re-
quired no second sight to discover abundant
evidences of waste, extravaganza unskillful
handling of labor and incompetent workman
ship. combined with unnecessary in
vestments in presses, machinery and
type, and leakages in purchas-
ing paper and ink and fuel to more than con-
vince any practical master printer that similar
work could be satisfactorily done through COM
petition for about one-half the money which
the service costs the Government to-day. Out
side the printing of the Congressional speeches
it is an expensive and cumbersome monopoly,
which, like the iceberg in md-ocean, must
soon disappear.
Referring to the remonstrance before this
meeting, especially the bill introduced recent
ly into the Legislature at Jefferson City, to
manufacture school books by the State under
the superintendent of a Board of Supervis
ors, apart from its being great injustice to
Quixotic ideas ever conceived. Before prac-
teal investigation OF the complicated mech
anism necessarily involved in its prosecution,
at least half hundred obstacles could be men
toned which would block the wheels of action,
which your patience and my time will not per.
NIT the mention Of While its contamination
would seem an easy task for the ordinary law
maker pleasant speculation for modern
social reformer, yet an hours consideration with
educated book manufacturer would convince
the most obdurate OF it's folly and consequent
failure.
The substance of the proposition is thai
school books are to be IdasCtufcti by the
State, and furnished to school children
at prime cost, after paying all legitimate eX-
penses of copyright, printing, binding, litho-
graphing, map colOring and engraving, book
keeping compilation, distributing of the books
to the children and the accounting for all
moneys involved. shipping and many other in
cidental expenses. This IS Il big undertaking
when we take into account the fact that there
are over 1000 different school-books sold alone
in the ST. Louis market, which are more or less
used in the public schools in Missouri. Leaving
out all other considerations
THE COST OF PRODUCING
stereotype plates for the necessary textbooks
used in schools would first necessitate an
expenditure of at least $4,000 to make be-
ginning, and then an annual appropriation of
twenty per cent. that investment to keep
the plant in good repair and running order
Besides, Il would require an army or state ana
county officials to distribute the goods, collect
money for them and make proper accountngs
and likewise it would be necessary in a meas
ure to retain half the lawyers in the common
wealth to look after the leakages and occasional
eefalcations or misunderstanding which
would necessarily occur in this business as it
would in other proceedings of like magnitude
The Inconsistencies and ambiguity of the bill
in question will be left for other gentlemen to
investigate and point out. AS practical print
er, merchant and Taxpayer, my voice is joined
with the combined effort of the respectable
gentlemen here assembled, in protesting against
the State of Missouri engaging in any such
questionable proceed ng the publishing of
books of any kind whatever; and furthermore,
we pronounce the faithful carrying out of SEN
ator Balls bill, and all similar measures, an
impossiblity which, if attempted, would
only end in ruin to the State and
LASTING disgrace to those engaged in it.
Above all things else, while it may not be
the intent of the gentlemen who advocate the
measure in question: it is pretty well under
stood that if the bill passed it is the purpose
of interested parties to do the work with con-
vict labor in the penitentiary at Jefferson City.
AS before observed, this is seemingly trifle,
light as air, but it would nevertheless eventuate
in furnishing school books to the children of
which would subject us to the pity and ridicule
of the world. And that fact in addition to the
other reasons advanced, should enlist all fair
minded citizens in working against the measure
under consideration
Dishonest Post Office Clerks.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 9.-There seems to be an
epidemic of robbery in the Kansas City
post-office. Last week Albert Boothe,